title: [The sex of the child, the sex of the doll].
abstract: We wanted to describe the playful behavior of young children of both sexes from two and a half to six years of age who have been given a set of toys evoking motherhood. A girl doll or a boy doll was among the toys. Analysis points up two factors that allow us to explain the relative differences in behavior as noted in girls and boys while playing: The first factor is what we'll call the positive experience of mothering (girls play more than boys, older children are more involved than younger ones); a second factor, called a distant, defensive attitude, probably more closely characterizes boys with a girl doll (distance, aggressivity). The most positive "mothering" (various activities and outward tenderness) in a sub-group of older girls playing with a boy-doll. The doll's sex appears to be a determining element in child behavior. More general remarks are brought up regarding the theoretical questions of how the child perceives the beginning of the parents' role and how a sexual identity in the largest sense of the word are inter-related. The problem of a child's wants are also considered, inasmuch as they might come up in the cultural, social and psychological dimensions of childhood.
authors.affiliation: Université de Bordeaux II, Talence.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laflaquière
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pig-Lagos
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D010988:Play and Playthings; D002666:Psychology, Child
vernacular_title: Sexe de l'enfant, sexe de la poupée.